Atlas Air has confirmed that it is phasing out its operations for Amazon, but will continue to dry lease 767s via its Titan subsidiary,
The carrier said in a statement that the split was all part of the plan.
“We completed a negotiation with Amazon to exit domestic 737 and 767 CMI service flying for Amazon, in line with our strategic plan,” it said in a statement.
Atlas explained that in connection with the Amazon agreement, it had also entered into three-year contract extensions for the dry lease of the 16 767-300Fs operated for Amazon, via its Titan subsidiary. The contracts will begin following the expiration of the original 10-year dry lease contracts.
Atlas said it would move to refocus on widebody aircraft, and will see delivery of a total of eight 777s and 747s this year.
“With the Amazon CMI service ending in mid-2025, we will reallocate resources to expand our investments in global, long-haul service with widebody aircraft.”
Atlas said that a claim by pilots that the ending of the deal would impact 760 crew members, was “overstated”, although it was not able to provide an exact figure. However, it added that it was adding some 250 pilot positions to support the arrival of the new aircraft.
“The widebody market is where we continue to see the strongest demand from our customers, as well as expanding opportunities in global ecommerce,” the carrier said.
“Atlas continues to expand its fleet of widebody freighters with the addition of eight new 747 and 777 aircraft in 2024. These aircraft will be placed immediately into service to complement the continued strong performance of the Company’s 767 fleet in service to US military and commercial customers.”
It added: “We are proud of the solid performance we delivered throughout our nearly decade-long partnership with Amazon. We look forward to continuing our relationship together through our Titan business.”
